Tony Xia has a message on social media for Robert Di Matteo

Aston Villa's soon-to-be owner Dr Tony Xia has welcomed manager-in-waiting Roberto Di Matteo to the club with a message on social media.

The Italian is widely expected to be announced as Remi Garde's successor at Villa Park on Friday (BBC) as a new era awaits Aston Villa, who will play in the Championship next season.

Sunnier days seem to lie ahead for the Villans, whose Premier League relegation has left a bitter taste with the fans following what was truly a dismal campaign which yielded just 17 points - their lowest ever points total in a season.

But in Di Matteo, they look set to appoint a Champions League-winning manager, having won the competition with Chelsea in 2012, as well as one with experience of winning promotion after his West Brom side escaped the second tier in 2010.

Xia wrote on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter: "Roberto! Up Villa! To the pinnacle of Euro football again!".

The Chinese businessman is expected to complete his buyout of owner Randy Lerner in the coming weeks, having transferred £52 million into an escrow account recently, according to the BBC.

The motion has not yet been ratified by the Premier League but BBC reported recently that the takeover should go ahead.

Ex-Reading boss Steve Clarke is expected to be Di Matteo's number two at Aston Villa, in what is expected to be a two-year contract for the Italian manager.

Shane Callaghan

Shane is a Dublin-based sports writer who swapped the football pitch for the press box upon learning that he was better with a pen than with a round bit of leather. Prior to joining HITC, Shane enjoyed spells with Sports Mole and Goal.com among others, while he was also club reporter for Irish football club Drogheda United.